Rushmore (Anderson, 1998): 7/10

“You know what? You and Herman deserve each other – You’re both little children.” – Rosemary

It was about halfway through my viewing of Rushmore that I started to panic. Could my affection for The Darjeeling Limited actually indicate a disdain for other Anderson works?

Rushmore was released in 1998, two years after Bottle Rocket. Much like Bottle Rocket, the film was a commercial failure that did not break even at the box office, but won general critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination (Best Supporting Actor) for Bill Murray. In almost all aspects, Rushmore is definitely a step forward.

That Rushmore takes place in a high school setting is almost perfect for a Wes Anderson film. His characters are often precocious concoctions and preserve a child-like quality. Even his adult characters such as Herman and Rosemary have a certain sense of arrested development about them. In that respect, the setting allowed his characters the necessary space to indulge in their usual antics. Although still an undeniably detached and artificial environment, the high school setting helps the film to be somewhat relatable – something that Bottle Rocket never quite achieved for me.

Anderson displays all the strengths he had shown in Bottle Rocket, and improves further upon them. There is something admirable about how he constructs his deep-focus shots – balancing the composition of the frame with different characters. The 180-degree camera pan action (now strongly associated with him) makes its appearance, as does the tracking shot that follows along as characters have a conversation.  Perhaps, given the time committed to dialogue in his films, this should not be a surprise, but he has a great skill for shooting conversations. There are moments where the camera swoops dramatically, but generally he adopts a very elegant and precise approach which is pleasing to the eye. His taste for pop music also finds a comfortable role in this film, with the British invasion soundtrack complementing his characterisation of Max.

The acting in the film is once again superb. Taken together with Bottle Rocket, it really reveals Anderson’s strength in directing actors. Bill Murray is both hilarious and heart-breaking as the wealthy middle-aged friend of the lead character. His scene as a dead-hearted Herman in the elevator of the hospital is so remarkably well-acted. Herman stirs your emotions without even really showing any real outpouring of emotion. Along with his role in Coppola’s Lost in Translation (another Golden Globe nomination and win), it makes you realise that there are few actors who can deftly balance comedic and emotional elements in the same role, much less within a single scene. Apart from Murray, the work done by Olivia Williams and Seymour Cassel should be given mention as well.

Unfortunately for all these improvements, the very same weaknesses that were apparent in Bottle Rocket are also present here. The film sags unbearably in the middle, where it becomes over-indulgent in the antics of his characters. Max is told NO in a thousand ways – which is partly the point – but it gets undeniably repetitive. I must admit that it almost lost me at this point, (where I had my aforementioned doubt) and had the same sense of: is this actually going anywhere?

Another weakness was the recurrence of the ‘annoying and socially inept’ Anderson archetype. Similar to his character Dignan, I generally had a hard time sympathising or even connecting with Max. In truth, I felt very sorry for his father Bert, who had to put up with such an unrepentant and self-centred son. And whilst the third act was enjoyable and genuinely touching, Max shows little growth as a person and it feels that he simply moved on to the next thing instead of realising what just happened. As with all of Anderson’s creatures, Max never truly acts from a place of malice, but his behaviour is so reprehensible that you just felt like shaking him by the shoulders.

Wes Anderson’s follow-up to his debut is very much a step in the right direction; there is plenty to admire about this particular work. This affirms his personal style as a director and refines his earlier strengths. But for now he still retains the weaknesses that plagued Bottle Rocket, and ultimately these issues prevent Rushmore from further greatness.